He picks up the phone.
The scrap of paper on the table contains the info -
a first name
a phone number.
It was passed by a friend.
It was passed willingly by the owner.
She expects him to call.
He contemplates what to say –
how to introduce himself.
Dial.
He can’t.
Why is it so hard to dial?
Why is he so nervous?
Dial.
He can’t.
Will he be interrupting something she is doing?
Why would she want to talk to him, he wonders?
Dial.
He can’t.
His stomach is becoming upset.
Why is this so difficult?
Dial.
He can’t.
“I’m an adult.” he thinks.
This nervousness is silly.
Dial.
He Can’t
The number is right there.
This should be so simple.
Dial.
He can’t.
Why is it always this way when meeting someone new?
E-mail would be so much easier.
Dial.
He can’t.
He wishes he had her e-mail adress.
He hates talking on the phone.
Dial.
He can’t.
He checks the time.
It’s getting late.
Dial.
He can’t.
“Why am I such a coward?” he ponders.
Always so shy with women.
Dial.
He can’t.
His fingers just won’t do it.
His throat tightens when he thinks about speaking when she answers.
Dial.
He can’t.
Soon, the clock shows that hours have passed.
He has wasted the evening.
It would be rude to call at this hour.
Try again tomorrow.
Maybe tomorrow will bring courage and success.
He puts the phone down.
Nervous Unwarranted Fear
Folks,
I’m not a trained writer. I don’t remember how to write a poem, don’t know the difference between poetry and prose, when to rhyme, when not to rhyme, what meter to use. I’m not great with sentence and paragraph structure and grammer.
I am not even sure why I wrote this. I’m not looking for pity or sympathy. This just happens to be something heavy on my mind right now. People write about their lives and experiences, so that is what I did. Maybe putting this in writing will help me think differently about the situation. If you have read it, thank-you.
Melissa Vowell, 11 months ago
oh I have had this feeling oh so damn many times! Hey Eric.. dial :)
Damian, 11 months ago
Interesting piece of writing Eric, and it captures something most of us have felt!
ericb, 9 months ago
Ok,
I finally e-mailed her and have also called a few times since. We’ve been dating for about a month now. Life is wonderful – even better than wonderful.